


Not Today

by Rodham



Category: Political RPF, Political RPF - US 21st c.
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 03:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9158131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodham/pseuds/Rodham
Summary: The electoral college votes.





	

It was cold out this morning. Much colder than it had been yesterday, though yesterday had been unusually warm. The weather couldn't seem to make up its mind. And the sun had yet to come out. It was overcast and it all seemed so very fitting. 

She woke up in their large bed and was surprised when she reached over to his side of the bed and it was empty. The sheets were even cold which told her that he had gotten up quite a while ago. Feeling around on her nightside table, she found her glasses and placed them on her face before turning to look at the clock. It was well after 8:00 so it was no wonder that she was alone. It was going to be a tough day for both of them so she might as well get it started and maybe it will go by faster. 

She pulled herself from the comforts of her warm blankets and stepped into her soft slippers before wrapping a heavy robe around her body. Knowing she should probably make herself a little more presentable she thought better of it and made quick use of the bathroom before making her way down the stairs. The house was quiet, like it had been for the last five weeks. No staff coming in and out, not many visitors and not as many secret service agents. 

When she reached the last step on the stairs she heard the distinct whistle of her tea kettle from the kitchen. As she entered the room she saw her husband standing at the counter with two apples cut in slices on the cutting board and toast sitting in the toaster waiting to be plucked out and buttered. He was dressed in a deep blue suit with a red tie and she couldn’t help but appreciate how beautiful this man was even after all these years. 

“Good morning, love,” he greeted her when he finally looked up to see her standing in the doorway. He set the tea kettle down after pouring hot water into a waiting cup and walked over to her. Placing his hands on her cheeks he pressed his lips lightly to hers to say ‘good morning’ and grabbed her hand to lead her to her seat. 

Once seated, he placed a few pieces of toast and slices of apple in front of her before reaching for the cup of tea he had prepared a moment ago. Setting it down in front of her, he poured a small amount of skim milk in it and went about making himself a cup of coffee before sitting down next to her. He pressed his lips against her temple before starting on his breakfast.

“What time are you leaving?” Hillary asked, breaking the silence. 

“In a little while,” Bill answered after a moment. He knew this day was going to be hard but he wasn’t as prepared for it as he thought. 

After a restless night of sleep he awoke hours ago thankful that his wife was such a sound sleeper or neither of them would have gotten any rest. But once he gave up his yearning for more sleep he simply watched her achieve what he couldn’t seem to do. She looked so at peace, so unlike she had looked for the past few weeks. He knew the pain of losing an election. But his failure to be reelected governor paled in comparison to actually winning an election only to be beaten by a system that was created to protect one of the things they were fighting against. All he knew was that he was going to be there for her no matter what she needed just as she had been there for him.

A little while came quicker than he anticipated. Soon an agent walked into the kitchen to announce that they would have to leave soon in order to make their flight. Bill mumbled something under his breath about a private plane not leaving without him but thanked the agent and finished his breakfast. When he looked over he saw that his wife has barely touched her’s. 

“Baby, you have to eat something,” he said.

“I will,” she replied after clearing her throat. She was beginning to feel queasy and didn't want her husband to worry. Taking a sip of her tea, she gave him a soft smile which seemed to appease him for the moment. 

He stood to take his dishes to the sink and paused after placing them in the large basin. Hillary looked up from her cup when he hadn't returned and noticed his shoulders were slouched a bit, tense. She watched as he placed his hands on the sink’s edge and tightened his fists around the porcelain then released them. He repeated the motion several times over. She knew he was trying to work up the courage to say goodbye to her. 

“Darling,” she started to call to him but he beat her to it and turned back to her making his way to stand in front of her. He pulled her off her stool and wrapped his arms tightly around her. With his face buried in her neck, she felt the first tear drop against her skin and held him closer. “It’s okay,” she whispered.

He pulled back to look into her eyes and surprised her by pressing his lips to hers. He took advantage of catching her off guard to deepen the kiss and lace his fingers in her blonde hair, careful not to catch any snarls from the night’s sleep. She quickly regained her control and responded in turn by opening her mouth further to allow his tongue access and she could taste the tartness from the apple he had just eaten. Loud footsteps in the hallway made them break their kiss and Bill pulled his wife into his arms again and pressed his lips to her head. 

“I have to go,” he mumbled against her hair. 

“I know,” was the soft reply. 

Bill finally pulled himself away from the love of his life and went back upstairs to retrieve what he would need for the day. He could have had his assistant go get his coat and briefcase but he needed a moment. He had imagined this day a million times and not once did he think of this outcome. Even over forty days of trying to make himself see this day for what it was it was going to be hard. 

When he returned to the kitchen Hillary had at least taken a few small bites of her toast. He watched her for a moment and couldn't help but be in awe of her. Yes, she was hurt and yes, she emotionally tired but she wasn't a quitter. He knew this was only a setback for her and that the history books would know her name. 

She stood when she noticed him standing in the doorway. She walked over for one last goodbye until she saw him again that afternoon. Bill turned to his agents that were standing by the door and gave them a look. They got the hint and stood just outside the front door to wait for the former president to give his wife a proper goodbye. 

“I'll be back in a few hours,” Bill told her.

“I know.” 

“And Chelsea will be here around 5:00 to help you get ready,” he explained.

“Okay.” She nodded her head.

“I'm so damn proud of you,” he finally said through teary eyes. That got her attention. “I'm so proud to be able to vote for you today.”

“Thank you,” she said with a small smile.

“I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too.” 

And with a soft kiss he was out the door and Hillary had to figure out what she was going to do with herself all day until Bill got home. She was so used to always having something to do or somewhere to be. She was starting to feel a bit lost at what she should be doing these days. Surely she heard from the media that she should be doing more for the Democratic Party but at this point there are some that made her feel like they didn't even want her there. She knew eventually she would go back to work at the Foundation helping people like she had her whole life but she was still hurting and knew it was going to take a while for that to go away.

Shaking her head of those thoughts, she looked at the clock and figured she should at least get out of her sleep clothes so she headed up the stairs. She took a quick shower and dressed comfortably since she had no plans to leave the house until later that evening. She busied herself playing with Maisie and Tally, she tried to read a book, she tried to reorganize the bookshelf said book was found on. She tried to do everything in her power to keep her away from the television set around 1:30 because she knew C-Span would be showing the votes and she wasn't sure she could bear watching Bill cast his vote. 

But then it was 1:15 and she was in her study with the small TV on. She watched other states’ votes being shown. Then there was New York. Hillary watched her husband of forty one years hesitate just a moment before standing. He took his reading glasses off and tossed them on the table before walking towards the ballot box. He paused for just a minute and Hillary could tell how upset he was simply by his posture. She knew this man better than she knew herself and her heart broke for him at that moment. Even with her being so upset for herself she was upset for others, especially Bill. She knew he wanted this for her and that hurt. 

She watched as he placed his ballot in the first box and softly rested his hand atop the wood. She had kept it together all day until that moment. Hot tears ran down her face as she continued to watch her husband walk to the second box and place his ballot into the slot. After hearing the people on the floor applaud Hillary had to turn the TV off. She couldn't take any more news right now and sat in the silence of her study waiting for her eyes to dry. 

She sat there for quite a while until the incessant chirping of her phone pulled her back to reality. She had calls and voicemails and texts from everybody. One that caught her eye was a link from Betsy and a message that said ‘we're all proud but I think he's the proudest’ with a kissy face emoji. She couldn't help but smile at that and opened the link to see her teary eyed husband say, “I've never cast a vote I was prouder of.” 

It was a couple of hours later when she heard the front door open. She had settled into her favorite reading spot a while ago to wait for Bill to return. She pulled her legs out from under herself and slipped her feet into her moccasins before walking out into the entryway. She stood and watched her husband remove his overcoat then his suit jacket, tossing it aside, before loosening his tie. He finally looked up once his task was completed and took in his wife in front of him. He gave her a soft smile before moving towards her to wrap her in his arms.

“Thank you,” she muffled against his chest where her face was currently buried. 

“For what?” he asked. She started to answer again against his chest but he could make out what she was saying. “What now?” he asked again when he pulled back from her slightly. 

“For being you,” she replied. He started to protest so she continued. “Thank you for supporting me through this, both the campaign and now. I know I'm a little hard to be around right now but I'll be okay. Not today and probably not tomorrow but I will be. Because I have you and Chelsea and the babies. So just, thank you.”

“No thanks is needed. I meant what I said. I have never cast a vote that I have been more proud of. Not for myself, not for anybody but you. I'm so proud of everything you've done and everything you will do. I love you so much.” 

When he finished they both had tears in their eyes. Cupping her face softly and wiping her tears with his thumbs, Bill pressed his lips against Hillary's in a gentle kiss and pulled her back into his arms to hold her tightly. They would be alright as long as they had each other.


End file.
